Grade crossing arms removed due to high winds?

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basketmaker

basketmaker

Lead Service Attendant
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2018
Messages
403
Location
Brighton, CO (DEN but FMG-Preferred)
Has anyone seen or heard of railroad maintenance removing grade crossing arms due to high winds? Denver RTD has crews out (supposedly removing arms not repairing or replacing per a local live news crew) and having flagmen in place ahead of expected 80mph winds today. Been through many hurricanes growing up in south Florida and never saw SAL, SCL, FEC or ACL taking any down. I saw a video (Virtual Railfan) of an arm being hit and it folded about a 3rd of the way from the tip and at the base. After the idiot in the pickup towing a trailer passed it all sprang back to normal. Just curious.
 
I have heard of arms being taken down in FL when a hurricane is expected to pass through an area. The concern is that the gate will disconnect and go flying and hit someone or something.
 
Devil's Advocate said:
CSX has been removing crossing arms ahead of heavy storm situations for many years. Also, many of the railroads you listed have not been in active operation for a half century or more.
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Don't remind me it's been 50+ years! My body tells me everyday! FEC is the only survivor from my childhood.
 
AmtrakBlue said:
I have heard of arms being taken down in FL when a hurricane is expected to pass through an area. The concern is that the gate will disconnect and go flying and hit someone or something.
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These days that makes sense. Back then I guess it wasn't a concern. Heck we rode bikes without helmets and drank from the garden hose.
 
AmtrakBlue said:
I have heard of arms being taken down in FL when a hurricane is expected to pass through an area. The concern is that the gate will disconnect and go flying and hit someone or something.
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It seems that arms are routinely taken down here in Central Florida when a hurricane is expected.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">California Zephyr Train 5 that departed Chicago (CHI) on 12/14 is currently holding west of Denver (DEN) due to high wind warnings in the area. We will update as more information becomes available.</p>&mdash; Amtrak Alerts (@AmtrakAlerts) <a href="">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
AmtrakBlue said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">California Zephyr Train 5 that departed Chicago (CHI) on 12/14 is currently holding west of Denver (DEN) due to high wind warnings in the area. We will update as more information becomes available.</p>&mdash; Amtrak Alerts (@AmtrakAlerts) <a href="">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Not surprised. Gust now up to 90mph in the foothills. And Denver International is on a ground delay until 18:00. At least one tractor-trailer blown over on I-25. 127k without power around the Denver Metro.
 
basketmaker said:
Has anyone seen or heard of railroad maintenance removing grade crossing arms due to high winds? Denver RTD has crews out (supposedly removing arms not repairing or replacing per a local live news crew) and having flagmen in place ahead of expected 80mph winds today. Been through many hurricanes growing up in south Florida and never saw SAL, SCL, FEC or ACL taking any down. I saw a video (Virtual Railfan) of an arm being hit and it folded about a 3rd of the way from the tip and at the base. After the idiot in the pickup towing a trailer passed it all sprang back to normal. Just curious.
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Flagmen replacing crossing arms? Great idea! Instead of crossing arms going flying, we can see humans getting thrown into trains, onto roads, into obstacles and otherwise dying or being seriously injured.

I thought only those "live on the scene of the storm" so-called reporters were that stupid. Then again, it's not the decision makers that stand out waving their flags there but the peons.
 
me_little_me said:
Flagmen replacing crossing arms? Great idea! Instead of crossing arms going flying, we can see humans getting thrown into trains, onto roads, into obstacles and otherwise dying or being seriously injured.

I thought only those "live on the scene of the storm" so-called reporters were that stupid. Then again, it's not the decision makers that stand out waving their flags there but the peons.
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When the winds get strong enough to knock down a flagger, I don't think the trains would be running.
 
Back in March 2019, I was on the California Zephyr #5 when a "bomb cyclone" hit just west of Omaha and lasted until east of Denver. The arms weren't operating due to winds gusting to 90+ mph. At each crossing where they were usually utilized, the train had to stop, let off the conductor and/or AC to play "traffic cop" until it was clear to move on. We ended up losing 12 hours in that stretch.
 
AmtrakBlue said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">California Zephyr Train 5 that departed Chicago (CHI) on 12/14 is currently holding west of Denver (DEN) due to high wind warnings in the area. We will update as more information becomes available.</p>&mdash; Amtrak Alerts (@AmtrakAlerts) <a href="">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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I was wondering about train status during the high winds that a good chunk of the country endured Wednesday. Is there a certain wind speed cutoff at which the trains don't run or "hold", using the wording in the above announcement? Are there other variables to consider, like flat vs mountain?
 
Yes, this sort of thing has been going on for a long time. It is just that by now there are a lot more crossings with gates than in the past. My understanding is that for most it is a stop and proceed, and if any flagging is done it is by the train crew only until the crossing is occupied. After all, the idiot that would run into the side of train occupying a crossing would run into a down gate, so why keep a flagman there until the train is past. Plus, with a two man crew how do you flag both directions and move the train? We would have to see each railroad company's operating rules to see what their current practice is.
 
I know here in CT if the arms are not working a police officer has to be assigned to the crossing. This used to fall onto local police, but after some negotiations this now falls to railroad police (MTA) in my area. I have never seen Metro North have the crew flag, although I have seen Amtrak do that on occasion.
 

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